1. Field of the Invention
A vehicle headlamp assembly locator is provided for positioning a vehicle headlamp assembly both vertically and horizontally with respect to the forward portion of the vehicle hood prior to securing the vehicle headlamp assembly in place on the vehicle.
2. Prior Art
The vehicle headlamp assembly locator of the present invention is provided for mounting a vehicle headlamp assembly onto a vehicle body. It is necessary that the forward or lens portion of the headlamp assembly be in alignment with the forward portion of the vehicle hood so that these elements will present a relatively continuous surface appearance. If the headlamp assembly is secured too far forwardly or too far rearwardly or too high or too low, an objectionable appearance results.
Conventionally, headlamp assemblies are mounted on a vehicle after the vehicle hood has been mounted. Proper positioning of the headlamp assembly has been achieved in the manufacturing process by means of a full-sized fixture. Such fixtures are used to properly locate the headlamp assemblies on the vehicle body. The fixtures are quite expensive. Additionally, the tolerance range and the accuracy of said fixtures is frequently not as close as desired. Further, such fixtures are bulky and heavy and difficult to handle. This latter point results in relatively inefficient use of the time of production workers.
In accordance with the present invention, a vehicle headlamp assembly locator is provided for mounting the headlamp assembly and does not require the use of a fixture for proper location of the headlamp assembly. This substantially reduces manufacturing costs and tends to improve the quality of the finished vehicle. The locator is a relatively inexpensive item and can be discarded after use or reused if desired.